Beehive



Nov. 3, 1942.

R. E. BORLAND 2,300,772-

BEEHIVE' Filed A ril 17, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I "a l/ 2 Sheets-Sheet 2R..E. BORLAND BEEHIVE Filed April 17, 1941 Nov. 3, 1942 Patented Nov.3;, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BEEHIVE Robert E. Borland,Blairsville, Pa. Application April 17, 1941, Serial No. 389,055

1 Claim.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in bee hives, andmore especially to the body and frame construction.

One object of my invention is to provide an improved bee hiveconstruction that will save valuable time in removing and replacing theframes.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel bee hiveconstruction that will render the operation of removing and replacingthe frames much easier and reduce the danger of crushing bees to aminimum.

A still further object of my invention is to practically eliminate thedanger of accidentally dropping a frame in removing or replacing same,and permit the ready examination or inspection of the frames at any timemerely by raising one end of the latter.

With the foregoing and other objects in view that will appear as thenature of my invention is better understood, the same consists in thenovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of partsillustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointedout in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes onlyand are therefore not drawn to scale:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of a bee hive embodying myimprovements.

Figure 2 is a central longitudinal section.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section, taken on line 3-3 of Figure2, and the remaining views are details of various features of myinvention.

Referring to the drawings for a more particular description of myinvention, and in which drawings like parts are designated by likereference characters throughout the several views, A designates the beehive body and B the frames.

The body A comprises the inner and outer end pieces or members I and 2and the corresponding side members 3 and 4, of surfaced lumber of thedesired thickness, or other suitable material, dovetailed together atthe four corners, as shown. The horizontal dimensions of the bee hivemay be of any desired length and width and the height of the hivestandard, or of greater or less depth.

In carrying out my invention, the upper edge of the inner end piece I isgrooved or rabbetted, as at 5, in the usual way, and a metal strip 6nailed or otherwise fastened, as at 1, to the edge of such groovedportion, to provide a support for the extensions at the free ends of thetop bars 9 of the frames B. The outer ends of the frames B are equippedwith the plates l0, preferably constructed from sheet metal, pressed outin one piece into proper form and fastened in place by nails H. Theupper outer corners of the plates ID are provided with the outwardlyprojecting ears [2, formed with the diagonal slots l3, to receive andpivot on the hinge rod 14. The hinge rod l4 extends between oppositesides of the hive body A, with its opposite ends resting in the slottedportions l5, of the angular metal bearing brackets l6, nailed orotherwise secured to the side members of the hive. The end piece 2 issuitably grooved along its upper inner edge to accommodate the hinge rodI 4 and ears l2.

A Wooden block ll of rectangular oblong form, is secured to the innerface of the end piece I, as shown. This block is formed with a straightouter face l8, a straight bottom edge i9 and an inner face 20 curved inthe arc of a circle, whose theoretical center is the hinge rod l4.Narrow wooden strips 2!, approximately of an inch in thickness, arearranged in vertical relation between the outer face I8 of thewooden-block l1 and the inner surface of the end piece I of the hive, toprovide vertical spaces 22 for bee-ways and ventilation. The bottom edge[9 of the block I! is disposed approximately of an inch above the bottomof the hive.

The frames B are constructed to permit hinging, installing of horizontalfoundation Wires 23 and wax foundations, and attention is invited to thefact that the outer edges 24 of the inner end pieces 25 of said framesare curved to conform to the curvature of the inner face 20 of the blockl1. The inner edges 26 of the end piece 25 are made straight to provideadditional thickness at the center of the latter. This serves as a bracewhen the foundation wire is tightened and prevents possible flatteningof the curvature and consequent sagging.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings, itis thought that the construction, operation and advantages of myinvention will be readily understood, without requiring a more extendedexplanation.

Various changes in the form, proportions and minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principles orsacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in theappended claim.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

A bee hive comprising a body portion composed of side and end members, atransverse hinge rod extending between opposite side members of the bodyportion adjacent the upper edge 55 of the outer end member, a pluralityof frames tened to the inner end member of the bee hive and narrowstrips arranged vertically between the innerface of the inner end memberof the bee hive and the outer face of the rectangular block to providevertical spaces for bee-ways and ventilation.

ROBERT E. BORLAND.

